Chapter 8

  Chapter 8 starts out with Paul thinking about the Russian prison camp that they are set up by and the prisoners that are being held there. How they are starved to death and are eating scraps of food that even rats wouldn't eat. He then begins to ponder that it is weird to see your enemies up close and personal and never has given much though about them. But upon seeing them he wonders what their story is. The prisoners also trade their boots and belonging to the soldiers for bread or bread and ham sausage but most have nothing to trade anymore and are in rags or the guards persuade them to give up something by waving the sausage and bread in front of the prisoners until they give up whatever the guard wants. Paul has to look over the Russian prisoners. At first he doesn't give them much attention or thought. But after awhile he feels sympathy towards them. After awhile he feels bad for the prisoners and eventually shares a cigarette with them. One of the prisoners plays the violin and comes and sits by plays by Paul.
  Paul then goes home to join his father and eldest sister at the hospital where his mother is at. They figure out that she is dying from cancer and needs to have surgery. They are worried about the cost of the operation and if that cancer is even treatable because they have never heard of it being cured before.
  Paul then gets on a train with some jam and potato cakes that him mother has made him. But he doesn't feel like eating it so he plans on giving it to the Russians but feels bad about giving it away because his mom made it for him. So he only brings a couple of the potato cakes to the Russians.

Alex part

I see these men, these Russian soldiers, these men are mere shadows of what must have been shadows of themselves. They grovel and search for scraps like wild animals for food. Which the only they find is in the garbages, little is thrown out by us. Yet there is a shred of humanity in these men. These men who Ive been told are ruthless, and heartless men who will kill me at any chance, they are nothing like that. 

The other german soldiers mostly ignore them, but some kick their starving diseased bodies. I thin we in fact are the heartless ruthless men that our teachers warned about, not the Russians. I see these men and they are caring for each other, they do not fight among themselves they no longer have any reason to fight among themselves.I cannot relate to them as individual men because I can only sees the animal suffering in them. 

I see them suffering and I want to help them I give some of my cigarettes to the Russians. There is one man who I can somewhat relate to. He is a musician who said he played the violin in Berlin. I watched and listened as he played against the fence for the other Russians. I hear only sadness and loneliness. 

My parents came by and gave me some food, I am debating giving them to the Russians. They need it more than I do. If I were in their shoes I would hope that not everyone of my enemy is a heartless bastard. There is goodness in everyone. Then I thought my mother is in pain from her sickness, and She made these for me not the Russians. I decide to compromise and give them 2. If I have learned anything else from this war is that it is all a lie, my teachers said that the enemy will kill me at any turn. But from what Ive seen these men are just like me, brainwashed into believing that the man on the other side of the fence is my enemy and will want nothing but to kill me and my entire family. This is not true, these are humans with families, and emotions like me who want the killing to stop.